Christmas
by SouthernBlossom
Summary: It's supposed to be Abby and Tim's first Christmas together as a married couple, but Tim and the others are on assignment in Florida, leaving Abby home for the holidays - alone. She's far from thrilled. WARNING: Will contain spanking.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This plot bunny was actually bouncing around in my head long before I'd ever watched an episode of NCIS. After becoming hooked on the show (and some fan fiction!) and deciding that Abby and Tim are perfect for each other, I realized how perfectly they'd fit into this story. So, if you are dead set against Abby Sciuto and Tim McGee ever falling in love and getting married, you should really find something else to read!

And, I put the warning in the summary, but I'll add it here too for good measure: there WILL be non-sexual spanking in later chapters. If this isn't your thing, click the back button on your browser now.

o o o o o

Christmas Eve. For millions of people around the world, it was a time when loved ones gathered. Yet, Abby Sciuto McGee was seated on the sofa of what had once been her family room… Alone.

She had planned on spending the evening with Tim. Abby and Tim had been married April of that year. It was supposed to be their first Christmas together as husband and wife. But apparently that wasn't going to happen. Tim and the rest of the crew were on assignment… in Florida… And of course, when the others were out in the field, Abby had to stay behind to manage the lab and process anything they sent back her way. Normally it wasn't a big deal, but it was Christmastime, damnit! She wanted her Timmy. It just wasn't fair.

Abby wasn't really a drinker, but right hen she desperately wanted one, something with vodka in it perhaps. But no, she couldn't have one of those, either. After all, what kind of a mother would she be if she drank during her pregnancy?

Ten weeks.

She'd planned on telling Tim Christmas morning. It was going to be her big Christmas surprise, and she knew he'd be excited. Obviously that wasn't happening now.

Abby glanced around the room, surveying the mess she'd created. No. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit that the state of the family room was far beyond being considered a "mess." Complete and utter destruction was more appropriate. Books and magazines were strewn around the room, along with pillows and cushions. A shattered vase lay in the corner, beneath a broken mirror. The ottoman had been knocked over, along with a planter beside it, adding soil to the mess on the once pristine carpet. Yes, she'd thrown a royal tantrum earlier that day. Of course, it wasn't really HER fault. She probably would've kept her composure had she not heard "Please Come Home for Christmas" on the radio. No, if she hadn't been reminded by a damn song that her husband and best friends weren't there then she would not have lost it.

So she sat on the couch, which was amazingly still in one piece considering the present state of the room, blinking back the tears that fell every few minutes. The phone rang, but Abby ignored it. She knew who it was – her mother, her father, or her brother. They'd been calling every half hour or so for half the day, trying to get her to go to her parents' house for the evening. Her brother had cajoled, her mother had pleaded, and her father… well, he'd asked but she figured he understood better than the others that no amount of persuading was going to make her go over there. No matter where she was, she was going to feel miserable about Tim being away, so why ruin the festivities for everyone else? They'd just complain about her moping anyway.

Ten minutes later Abby heard the front door open. Great, she thought, now they were going to try to drag her out of the house. Well, if they wanted to resort to such tactics, they were going to have to carry her there because she wasn't budging.

"I don't want to go anywhere, and no amount of bribery is going to change that so you might as well just quit now," she called out, closing her eyes as if to emphasize her point in case they actually persisted into the family room.

She heard footsteps travel through the foyer and into the kitchen, stopping near the two steps that led down to the family room. Whoever it was didn't speak, but from the silence they hadn't moved any further. Why were they just standing there, obviously staring at her? When the feeling of being watched became too much, Abby huffed loudly. "If you want me to move, you're going to have to make me."

"I think that can be arranged."


	2. Chapter 2

_She heard footsteps travel through the foyer and into the kitchen, stopping near the two steps that led down to the family room. Whoever it was didn't speak, but from the silence they hadn't moved any further. Why were they just standing there, obviously staring at her? When the feeling of being watched became too much, Abby huffed loudly. "If you want me to move, yu're going to have to make me."_

"_I think that can be arranged."_

Abby's head jerked up immediately at the unexpected yet familiar voice. "Gibbs…?" she whispered, hardly able to believe her eyes. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her eyelids briefly before opening them again hopefully. When Gibbs was still standing there, plain as day, Abby hopped up off of the sofa and launched herself into Gibbs' arms.

"Gibbs!" she exclaimed, holding onto the former Marine as if her life depended on it.

For his part, Leroy Jethro Gibbs held onto Abby just as tightly. He had missed her almost as much as he was sure Tim had, and it felt good to have his surrogate daughter in his arms. He indulged her for another minute before he pulled back, holding her at arm's length. "Are you okay, Abs?" he asked her seriously, his eyes scanning her body for any sign of injury or trauma.

Abby was slightly confused by the question. She knew that look in Gibbs' eyes – he was looking at her like he thought she might be hurt. "Yeah, Gibbs, I'm fine… I just missed you guys! I can't believe you're back for Christmas! Where's Tim? He's coming home too, right?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes," assured Gibbs. "If you're fine though, Abby, then would you mind explaining why your living room looks like a tornado blew through?"

Abby glanced back at the mess. Suddenly she felt very shy, her eyes focusing on her sock-covered feet. The tone in Gibbs' voice sounded knowing, as if he realized that for whatever reason she'd been responsible for the trashed room. As a surrogate parent, even though Abby was legally and physically an adult, Gibbs didn't hesitate to step in when she screwed up. Abby was pretty sure that Gibbs was going to consider this latest disaster a major 'screw-up.' "I really missed you guys…" Abby began softly, "And I was angry that Tim wouldn't be home for Christmas… and…"

Holding up one hand, Gibbs cut her off mid-ramble. "Are you telling me that you threw a temper tantrum because Tim was on assignment, Abigail?"

Oh, yes. Abby was in for it. And of course, whenever Gibbs called her by her given name, Abby felt like a child about to be scolded by her father. "Did I mention how much I missed you guys? You and Tim and Tony and Ziva and Ducky and…"

Gibbs cut her off again, this time with a finger placed gently on her lips. "That doesn't make it okay for you to destroy part of your house," he reminded her calmly. "There is broken glass all over the floor in there. Do you realize that you could've cut yourself on that glass? And no one would've been here to help you."

Abby couldn't see herself injuring herself that badly on the glass, but she didn't figure it wise to point that out right then. "I'm fine, Gibbs…" she tried to remind him softly.

He continued on as if he hadn't heard her quiet statement. Instead, he easily lifted her up into his arms and carried her over to the couch, where he sat her down gently. "You are going to sit on this sofa while I clean up the shards of glass. You will not move any part of your body off of this sofa until I am completely finished and have said it's okay to walk on the floor. Once I am finished, you are going to clean up the rest of your living room. Do you understand me?"

She nodded, mumbling a faint, "Yes, Gibbs."

"After this room is completely cleaned up, Abby, you and I are going to have a serious discussion."

Abby's eyes widened at that. 'Serious discussion' meant one thing and one thing only with Gibbs – his hand would be 'discussing' things with her poor butt. Gibbs didn't spank her often, but when he did, it was memorable.

No way in hell did Abby want a spanking, especially on Christmas Eve! "Gibbs, I…"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, Abby. I don't want to hear it. What you did was more fitting of a toddler than a grown woman, and if you're going to act like a child, you know I'm going to treat you like one."

Normally Abby would know better than to argue with Gibbs when she was already in trouble, but she was tired and sad and a hundred other emotions simultaneously, and the hormones were already starting to flare up. "That's not fair!" she nearly yelled, folding her arms across her chest in protest. "Y'all were out in the field, in another STATE no less, and I was stuck at home facing the prospect of having to spend Christmas ALONE. I was MAD. I am a married woman, and if I want to throw and break things in my home, then I'll do it!"

Gibbs had been watching her calmly through her little tirade. The moment she paused long enough for him to have the chance to say something, he wordlessly sat down beside Abby, pulled her across his lap, and landed ten sharp smacks to the seat of her pants, causing Abby to screech in surprise.

Resting his hand on her bottom, Gibbs finally spoke. "Let's try this again. After this room is cleaned up, you and I are going to have a much-needed serious discussion. Nothing you say or do is going to change this. Now, are you going to stay here quietly on this sofa while I clean up the glass, or do we need to continue this little mini-discussion?"

Tears were already pooling in Abby's eyes from those ten swats, but she didn't want to begin crying outright. She was mad at herself for getting this emotional over what was, compared to a typical Gibbs spanking, a light smacking.

"I'll… stay…" she managed out as she tried not to sniffle.

Gibbs finally released his hold on her, helping her to shift off of his lap and over onto the couch. "Good girl," he told her softly as he patted her hand, before standing himself to begin the tedious task of cleaning up every single piece of broken glass that littered the family room floor.

o o o o o

**Author's Note:** A few things. First, I apologize for the short length of the chapters. Normally my chapters are much longer, but since the original story concept was a one-shot in my mind and in this scenario needs to be broken into sections, it's left me with short chapters. I only anticipate having 2-4 chapters left, tops. Depends on how things go.

Also, I've been debating something, and I thought maybe you guys could help me out. Tim will show up really (REALLY) soon, and obviously Abby's in for one heck of a spanking, so I was wondering whether you thought it would be better for Gibbs to handle spanking her or for Tim to handle it. I know most don't think of McGee as having the "balls" to do something like that, but knowing how kinky Abby can be, I can see her slowly making him less vanilla. And of course he wouldn't like coming home on Christmas Eve to find his family/living room destroyed and to discover that it's destroyed because his darling wife threw a temper tantrum! ;) So, let me know what you think! Feedback is awesome, people!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long. I was about half-way through, and got stuck and needed some time to work through my brief writer's block. Still, a chapter a week isn't so bad, right?

Also, I'd like to thank everyone who gave me their opinions on who should spank Abby. I'm going to leave that a mystery until the big event happens (Chapter 4, I hope!), but hopefully if you're disappointed by who I pick, this won't be my only Abby story... :)

o o o o o

Abby sat quietly on the couch, her knees pulled up close to her chest, as she watched Gibbs meticulously pick up every piece of glass and fought not to rub her stinging backside. Even if it was a quick smacking, those ten smacks had hurt! And they hadn't just hurt her bottom – Abby's pride was wounded too. It was Christmas Eve and she'd already received a smacking and the promise of a thorough spanking later that evening. Tim would be home any time, and Abby had no idea how he was going to react. Would he be mad at her? Would he yell? Would he even want to talk to her after what she'd done to the family room? God, when did she become so insecure and emotional?

Christmas was ruined as far as Abby was concerned, and having accepted that 'reality,' she couldn't hold it in any longer. A heart-wrenching sob tore through her body as she buried her face in her knees and finally cried out loud.

o o o o o

Gibbs heard that first soft hitch of her breath, and knew what was coming before Abby probably even knew. The moment he heard her cry, though, he wanted to drop what he was doing and comfort her. Something was going on with his surrogate daughter, something he couldn't even begin to guess at. Never in the years he'd known her at NCIS had Gibbs ever seen Abby this emotional. It wasn't that she didn't show her emotions, because she did – quite well, actually. But to watch her go from one extreme to the other, one minute angry and the next sobbing brokenheartedly, Gibbs was at a loss. He couldn't go to her just yet though. He had glass to finish picking up, and it needed to be up before anyone got hurt.

He hurried to pick up the glass, placing it all in a plastic trash bag. Sweeping to make sure he got every last speck, Gibbs tied up the bag and carefully took it out to the garage, making sure to put it in the larger trash can that went to the curb twice a week. Then, without missing a beat, he was back inside, on the couch, pulling Abby onto his lap and into his arms.

"Hey," he murmured softly when she immediately wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in his shirt. Something was definitely wrong. "What's going on, Abs?" When she didn't answer, he held her a little tighter, his hand reaching up to stroke her head gently. It was evident that he wasn't going to get a coherent answer from her, if he got an answer at all. She was too worked up. So he waited patiently, his chin atop her head, for Abby to cry it all out.

It took several minutes, but finally Abby's breathing slowed and her sobs subsided into sniffles and hiccups. Kissing the top of her head, Gibbs pulled back slightly and used one finger to nudge her chin up so he could see her face, which was covered with tears, sweat, and mucus. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, using it to gently wipe Abby's face. Once her face was clean, he set the thin piece of cloth on the coffee table and focused his attention on what was bothering Abby.

"Talk to me Abs," he said gently, making sure she knew he wasn't trying to lecture her just then. "I can tell there's something you're holding back, but you're going to make yourself sick if you just keep it in. I can't help you unless you tell me what's going on."

Abby glanced down at Gibbs' shirt, where her face had rested only a minute earlier, not wanting to answer his questions. "I'm sorry about your shirt, Gibbs," she offered softly.

Gibbs easily tilted her chin back up with his finger. "I don't care about the shirt, Abby. I want to know what's going on with you."

She'd always been a terrible liar, and she knew it, but she wasn't ready to share the truth. "Nothing's going on."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, but his tone of voice didn't change. "You're an awful liar, Abby."

"I don't want to talk about it…"

"Abby."

Abby nearly started crying all over again. "Christmas is ruined!" she exclaimed, devastation evident in her voice. "I had Tim's Christmas present all planned, and I was going to tell him tomorrow morning, but then I found out you guys wouldn't be home for Christmas and then I was bummed, but I was okay until that damn song came on the radio and I just couldn't help myself and I lost it! And now Tim's going to be home but I can't even be happy about it because you're mad at me and I probably won't even be able to sit tomorrow morning and everything is making me either mad or sad and I haven't had a Caf-Pow in days!"

She'd been talking so quickly that Gibbs had found it hard to follow completely, but he'd caught enough bits and pieces to have a general idea. What surprised him the most, however, was the fact that his caffeine-addicted 'daughter' hadn't had her favorite caffeine fix in days. Gibbs wasn't sure he'd ever seen her go more than 24 hours without one, or without some other source of caffeine. "Why haven't you had a Caf-Pow?" he asked her curiously.

If Abby hadn't wanted to answer his questions before, she certainly didn't want to answer this one. It would ruin Tim's Christmas surprise! Now, Abby knew without a doubt that if she asked Gibbs to keep his mouth closed about it, he would in a heartbeat, but Tim was supposed to find out first. Abby hadn't even told her parents about it yet – she didn't want to tell anyone else before she had a chance to tell Tim.

But Gibbs was persistent. Abby knew this better than most, and she was pretty sure that he'd consider her caffeine cut-off to be 'hinky,' as she'd put it. At this point, she wasn't sure she could avoid telling him.

Sighing, she finally relented a little. "The doctor said I couldn't have any caffeine," came the quiet admission.

Gibbs' eyebrow, if possible, arched even further. "Why?"

"Because… because they don't think it would be good for the baby…"

Gibbs blinked. "Baby…?" he repeated slowly. He studied her quietly for a moment before asking, "Abs, you're pregnant?"

She nodded. "Ten weeks."

Abby wasn't sure of what reaction she expected from the man, but she was caught a bit off guard when he pulled her back tightly into his arms and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Congratulations," he offered sincerely. "Was this what you wanted to tell Tim tomorrow morning?" Abby nodded into his chest. "Tim is going to be very excited when you tell him."

This time, Abby was the one to pull back as she looked at Gibbs' face, biting her lip much like a young girl would. "Yeah, but I won't even be able to enjoy it much because my butt's still gonna be sore…"

She looked so much like a little girl who was pouting because she'd gotten caught with her hand in the candy jar that Gibbs wanted to chuckle, but he managed to hold it in. "First of all, Abby, you and I both know you're exaggerating just a bit," he told her knowingly. "And second, I'm not entirely sure I should spank you now that I know you're pregnant. I don't know if it would be safe for the baby."

This was her chance! She could agree with him and get out of what had promised to be a thorough spanking from Gibbs, and even if Tim found out what she'd done, he hadn't spanked her for any reason other than foreplay yet, so the chances of him picking up the slack would be slim. However, then there was the chance that Tim would decide that even erotic spanking was out of the question, and Abby wasn't sure she could go 30 more weeks without THAT aspect of her sex life! And the moment she had her pregnancy confirmed by the doctor, Abby had also confirmed that moderate spanking, with certain limits, was 99.9% safe, at least during her first and possibly second trimesters. As far as Abby was concerned, the only reason the doctor couldn't say 100% was on the off chance that something freaky and unexpected did actually happen and someone tried to sue her later. Nope, 99.9% was good enough for Abby.

In the end, truth won out. "Actually… the doctor kinda said it'd be okay… you know, as long as nothing hit my stomach or back… and it wasn't too rough…"

"You asked your doctor about it?" Gibbs asked, disbelief written all over his face.

"Well, Tim and I enjoy a bit of foreplay…"

Gibbs held his hand up quickly. "That's more than I need to know about, Abs. Are you telling me that you accept and agree that you've earned a spanking?"

Abby hadn't ever had to verbally accept earning any sort of punishment before! "Aw, come on Gibbs…" she protested in a slight whine.

"No, Abby. If you're accepting that a spanking is safe for you right now, you need to accept that you might receive one even when you don't want to. If you can't accept that, then as far as I'm concerned you don't accept that it's safe at all. And yes, that does mean that I will make sure Tim is aware that spanking is no longer safe for you right now either, in any capacity.

"That's not fair."

"It's more than fair, Abby. You can't decide that it's safe only when you want it to be. Either it is, or it isn't. You have about five seconds to decide before I do, and if I have to decide then you will have no say in the matter whatsoever."

Abby wanted to punch Gibbs, but there was no way she'd actually go through with it, no matter how angry or frustrated she was. Sighing loudly, she leaned back onto Gibbs, resting her head on his chest. "Fine."

He immediately pulled her back so he could see her face. "Fine, what?"

"Do I really have to say it?"

"Yes, young lady, you do."

She took a deep breath. "I… I accept it."

Gibbs wasn't budging. She dug herself into this hole, and now she was going to have to dig her way out – by saying exactly what she meant. "You accept what, Abby?"

Unfortunately, Abby was getting frustrated again. "I accept that you're going to spank me!" Abby shouted, crossing her arms over her chest once again. "Happy now?"

That wasn't the right thing to say, and she realized it a split second too late as Gibbs stood her up and turned her to the side so he could land a stinging swat to her backside. Before she even had a chance to try to rub the sting out, however, Gibbs stood and, grasping Abby's arm, calmly led her over to a relatively clean corner of the room. There, he stood her so that she was facing the corner, hands at her side.

"Ten minutes, Abby," he told her in a quiet but firm voice. Then, without so much as another word, Gibbs turned and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

Abby kicked the wall in frustration, then immediately let out a yelp as her toes smashed into the wall. Lifting her arms to rest on each wall, Abby slowly leaned forward until her head was resting on her arms. This day was getting worse and worse she thought to herself as a few tears silently slid down her cheeks. The sting in her butt was fading, but she knew it was only a matter of time until a worse fire would be ignited there. After all, Gibbs didn't do anything halfway, and pregnant or not, Abby knew she was going to get a proper spanking.

It wasn't long before Abby began to hear movement behind her. She wanted to know what Gibbs was doing – she hadn't expected him to stay in the room, and hearing him move about and not knowing was nearly killing her – but she didn't dare move herself. No, she'd tried that once after the first time Gibbs had placed her in the corner, and all she'd gotten for her curiosity were a few extra hard swats. As curious as Abby was, it wasn't worth that.

Time passes by slowly when you're staring at a bare wall. Abby wasn't sure how long had passed, but eventually she stopped hearing movement from behind her. What was Gibbs doing now?

After what seemed like an eternity to Abby, she heard a faint 'ding' she recognized as her kitchen timer. Had it finally been ten minutes?

"You can come out now, Abby."

Abby spun around eager to look at anything but that wretched corner. What she saw surprised her. The family room was considerably cleaner. Everything had been put back in its place, and anything ripped or torn was gone. In fact, the only mess left was the floor itself.

"Gibbs…?" she trailed off, confused.

"I thought it better if you didn't have to do all that bending and lifting, even if you deserved to clean it up yourself," Gibbs explained. "You can, however, vacuum the floor."

It was then Abby noticed her vacuum standing in another corner of the room. She nodded in agreement. That was more than fair. "Okay."

"I'll be in the kitchen. Call me when you're done." When Abby nodded again, Gibbs turned and headed for the kitchen.

Abby wasted no time in turning on the vacuum and putting the floor back to normal. It was enough that Gibbs was probably going to tell Tim what had happened; Abby didn't need her husband to actually see the mess, too. It was finally beginning to dawn on her how mortified she would've been if Tim had come home to the family room looking the way it had. Too bad she couldn't think of that earlier when she was fuming over his absence.

The floor was clean in just a few minutes, and Abby put the vacuum away in the nearby hall closet before reluctantly calling to Gibbs.

"Gibbs…? I'm finished…"

She watched as Gibbs came back into the room and took a seat in the center of the sofa. He held his hand out toward her and was about to speak when his phone rang. Dropping his arm, Gibbs fished his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Gibbs," he said in his no-nonsense voice as he held the device to his ear.

Abby wondered who was on the other end, but Gibbs didn't give away any hints during the brief conversation. It wasn't until he slipped the phone back into his pocket that Abby got an answer.

"Tim will be here in ten to fifteen minutes," he informed her. "That's just enough time for us to have our discussion."

Abby frowned. "Do we have to…?"

Gibbs motioned to her. "Come here, Abs."

She shuffled her feet as she made her way over to the sofa. When she was within reach, Gibbs took her hand and gently pulled her over to stand in front of him. "All right, Abby. Why are we having this discussion?"

Great… now she had to fess up to everything she'd done, too? Abby tried to pout, but apparently Gibbs was unmoved as he continued to watch her silently, waiting for a response. "I threw a fit because I thought Tim was going to be gone for Christmas," she admitted sheepishly, her eyes lowering to focus on her now clasped hands.

"And…?" prompted Gibbs.

"And… I broke the glass in anger, and I could've hurt myself on it."

"And…?"

"And…?" Abby repeated as she looked up at him, confused. "What else did I do?"

Gibbs arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Your attitude…?" he reminded her.

Her jaw dropped in surprise. "But you already spanked me for that!"

He shook his head. "No, Abby. I gave you a few well-placed swats, thinking they might snap you out of your funk. They didn't seem to help a whole lot, though."

The pointed look Gibbs was giving her made Abby feel rather embarrassed. It wasn't that she hadn't gotten an attitude with Gibbs before, but never had she been so rude only minutes after he'd corrected her for it. "I'm sorry," she told him honestly as she played with her hands, not wanting to see the look on his face.

Gibbs squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Let's get this over with, Abs."

Shifting Abby to his side, Gibbs settled her across his lap, her head and torso resting comfortably on the sofa cushions, her legs hanging toward the floor. Using one hand to secure her firmly across his lap, he brought the other one down sharply on her behind.

Abby tried to be 'brave' and take her spanking like a 'trooper,' but Gibbs was spanking her HARD. Not that he ever spanked her softly, but this was definitely harder than those swats he'd given her earlier. It didn't help that her hormones were making her want to scream her head off and cry her heart out simultaneously. After maybe ten swats Abby was whimpering, and after ten more she began to cry softly.

Listening to Abby cry on any given day was hard enough for Gibbs. Knowing he was the one causing her to cry was even worse. However, Gibbs couldn't let her tears deter him. Pregnant or not, Abby needed to reign in that temper before she got herself hurt.

Resolved, Gibbs paused just long enough to tug Abby's pants and underwear down to her knees, much to Abby's horror.

"Gibbs no!" she shrieked, throwing a hand back immediately to cover her already rosy bottom.

Gibbs wordlessly pinned her hand to her back and proceeded to swat Abby's bare bottom. Abby squealed and tried to moved away from Gibbs' hand, but Gibbs still had a firm grasp on Abby's back. If she'd thought the spanking hurt over her pants, it was pure torture now! Gibbs rapidly smacked the same spot three times before moving to another spot, no other pattern evident so Abby never knew which spot he'd pick next. Sometimes the spots overlapped, resulting in an extra loud squeal from Abby.

"Gibbs… please…!" she cried out, begging. She'd do anything if it meant he'd stop spanking her. "I won't do it again… Gibbs…"

Her cries tore at his heart, but Gibbs didn't stop. Instead, he began to focus on Abby's upper thighs and 'sit spots,' eliciting a long, drawn-out howl from Abby.

After a particularly hard swat, Abby finally broke down into heavy sobs, her body falling limp over his knees. Gibbs gave her five more quick swats and then stopped.

He ran his hand over her back in soothing circles, allowing her time to calm down. It took a minute for Abby to realize he was no longer spanking her, and another two for her to quiet just a bit. Gibbs gently readjusted Abby's clothes, not missing the way her body and voice jumped a little when the fabric brushed against her inflamed skin. Then, without a word, Gibbs lifted her up and pulled her into his arms.

Abby immediately laid her head on his chest as she continued to cry. She felt his arms wrap securely around her, and all of her frustrations from that day began to pour out. "I'm so sorry, Gibbs!" she sobbed into his shirt.

"Shhh," soothed Gibbs. "It's all over now, Abs." His hand resumed the calming circles on her back as he held her tightly.

They sat that way for several minutes, Abby crying and Gibbs comforting her. Eventually, Abby's breathing slowed and her cries subsided to sniffles and the occasional hiccup. She closed her eyes briefly when Gibbs lowered his head to drop a kiss on her forehead, but opened them once again when a question arose in her mind.

"Gibbs?" she asked him quietly, tilting her head to glance up at him. "Are you going to tell Tim?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, Abs. It's over and done with, and I won't talk to anyone else about it. However…" At this he locked eyes with her, making sure she was really listening to what he had to say. "I do think that you should tell Tim."

A third voice arose from the entrance to the family room, surprising Abby.

"Tell me what?"


	5. Chapter 5

"_Gibbs?" she asked him quietly, tilting her head to glance up at him. "Are you going to tell Tim?"_

_Gibbs shook his head. "No, Abs. It's over and done with, and I won't talk to anyone else about it. However…" At this he locked eyes with her, making sure she was really listening to what he had to say. "I do think that you should tell Tim."_

_A third voice arose from the entrance to the family room, surprising Abby._

"_Tell me what?"_

Abby's head snapped up at the familiar sound, and the young woman shot off of Gibbs' lap like a cannon ball. "Timmy!" she practically squealed as she launched herself into Tim's arms with such force that it nearly knocked him over. "You're home!" Abby continued excitedly, immediately leaning up to kiss him.

Tim chuckled slightly at her antics and returned the show of affection. "I missed you too, Abs."

His eyes scanned her from head to toe, much in the same way Gibbs had done earlier. "Are you okay?" he asked her seriously, his concern for her taking precedent over his excitement to see her again.

Yet again, Abby found herself confused. "I'm fine, Timmy. I mean, I missed you like crazy, but I'm not hurt." Except for her bottom, that was, which she still longed to rub the sting from, but she wasn't about to ruin the happy reunion.

Tim wordlessly pulled out his cell phone and pressed a few buttons. He held it up so Abby could read the display, noting the confusion on her face as he showed her their home phone number on the small screen. Before Abby had the chance to ponder it further, Tim pressed the green button and held the phone to Abby's ear.

Abby opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, but the beeping of a busy signal blared in her ear and cut her off as her face visibly paled.

Shit.

Tim wasn't typically the dominant type, at least not with Abby, and had never spanked her outside of erotic play, but he had threatened to… once. Abby had been out in D.C. one day while Tim had been on assignment in West Virginia, and had accidentally turned her cell phone off. When Tim hadn't been able to get in touch with Abby the entire day, he'd naturally worried. It wasn't until late that night that Tim had finally reached her, and by that time he was more than frantic. After that day, Tim had made Abby promise to always keep her cell phone on when she wasn't at home or in the lab, with the promise that if she didn't he'd take it out on her butt.

He hadn't said anything about the landline, but Abby was sure he wasn't happy with the fact that she'd left it off the hook anyway.

"I…" she stammered, struggling to come up with a reasonable excuse.

"Would you like to tell me why I've been getting a busy signal every time I've tried to call for the past five hours?"

What kind of a question was that? Of course she didn't want to explain. "Can I plead the fifth instead?" she asked softly.

Tim gave her a knowing look. "Where is it off the hook, Abby?"

"The bedroom," Abby mumbled.

He turned both of them around and gave her a gentle yet firm push toward the stairs. "Fix it, now."

Sighing, Abby trudged up the stairs to the master bedroom, turning the cordless phone off and replacing it on the base. Tim hadn't yelled, nor had he given any indication that he might. She wondered if he was going to say anything about the cell phone she'd all but turned off.

Upon returning to the family room, Abby saw Tim and Gibbs talking quietly enough to one another that she couldn't hear them from the doorway. She suddenly felt like 100 butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach.

They both looked up, and the moment she saw Tim's face Abby knew she was screwed. She felt like crying right then and there.

However, to Abby's surprise Tim held his arms open for her. She sped into his embrace, nearly tripping over her own two feet in the process, and for the countless time that day the flood gates opened and her tears poured out.

Tim held his wife close, one arm firmly around her shoulders as the opposite hand played with the jet black strands of hair falling from her pigtails, an act that always calmed her.

"I… missed… you…" Abby choked out as she held onto him for dear life.

"I know," he told her in a soothing voice. "I missed you too, Abby."

It took several minutes of crying before Abby had calmed down enough to speak clearly. "I'm sorry about leaving the phone off the hook…"

Though he was frustrated with her for making him worry like that, Tim wanted nothing more than to comfort her right then as he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "We'll talk about that later, Abs. Let's just sit for a minute." Letting go of her body momentarily, Tim took her hand in his and led her over to the oversized chair across from Gibbs. He sat down, gently pulling her onto his lap much like one would a child.

Having momentarily forgotten about her sore bottom, Abby let out a surprised, "Oh!" and a wince when her backside came in contact with his thighs.

Tim, having been on the receiving end of a Gibbs spanking more than once, immediately recognized the movement. Hiding his surprise that Abby had gotten herself into trouble in such a short amount of time – Gibbs had been there maybe an hour before Tim, tops – Tim grasped Abby's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "What happened, Abby?"

She frowned, pulling out a pout. Every now and then Tim fell for her pouting, though unfortunately he was becoming increasingly immune to the ploy. "I'd rather not talk about it, Tim."

"Gibbs spanked you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. He knew his boss had disciplined her, and it was a full spanking if Abby was still squirming. Tim just didn't know why.

Still, Abby tried to evade his curiosity. "What makes you think…?"

Tim sighed loudly, amazed that she was trying to sidestep the question, especially considering Gibbs was still in the room and listening carefully to their conversation. "Abby, you're squirming like you always do after he spanks you," Tim explained, noting the blush on Abby's cheeks as he called her bluff. "Now, what happened?"

"I… I missed you," she explained, leaving out her actions of the day. "And I was sort of angry that you weren't going to be home for Christmas."

"And…?" he prompted.

"And…" she repeated softly as she looked down at her lap so he couldn't see the embarrassment in her cheeks.

That didn't last long, though, as Tim used one finger to lift Abby's chin so he could see her eyes. "Tell me, Abby," he told her gently as his eyes held her gaze.

Unable to put it off any longer, Abby confessed.

"I lost it," she finally admitted, ashamed. "I pretty much trashed the room. When Gibbs showed up, he saw the mess."

Tim nodded in understanding. "What happened to the mirror?"

Abby looked down once again. "I broke it."

"So you threw a temper tantrum because you missed me and thought I wouldn't be home for Christmas. Is that what you're telling me, Abs?"

"Maybe…"

He fought the urge to chuckle over how much she resembled a little girl in trouble right then. "Well then I'm glad he spanked you."

Whatever Abby had expected Tim to say, it wasn't THAT. Her head jerked up and she stared at her husband in disbelief. "What?" she demanded.

"I'm glad he spanked you," Tim replied, seriously. "Because if I'd been the one to find that mess, I probably would've done the same thing."

She looked away and mumbled under her breath. "Well if you'd been home in the first place…"

Tim caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "Don't go there, Abigail," he told her in a quiet, firm voice.

Abby let out an exaggerated sigh and leaned against Tim, resting her head between his chin and shoulder as she used her fingers to pry his hand from her chin. "I missed you a lot, Timmy," she told him in a small voice.

He rubbed her back gently as he spoke. "I know, sweetie. I missed you more than you know." He let those words sink in before continuing. "You know we still have some talking to do, right?"

She shook her head and buried her face in his shirt. "We could just forget about it," came the muffled reply.

Pulling back, Tim used one hand to lift Abby's chin so he could see her face. "Not happening, Abby. Where's your cell phone?"

Abby tried to shake his hand from her chin, but it wouldn't budge. "I didn't turn it off."

"Where is it, Abby?"

"Tim…"

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Abigail McGee, if I have to look for that cell phone myself, I'll spank you right in front of Gibbs as soon as I find it."

Abby looked at Tim in horror. "You wouldn't…"

"Where is the cell phone, Abby?"

She looked down, the urge to cry growing strong once again. "The towel drawer in the kitchen."

Tim lifted her off of his lap, setting her on her feet. "Go get it."

He didn't move to swat her, but Abby decided it wasn't in her best interest to dawdle anyway. She hurried to the kitchen, quickly fishing through the folded hand towels to find the cell phone, before bringing it back to Tim to show him. "It's on," she reminded him quietly as she held it out for his inspection.

Taking the offered cell phone, Tim flipped it open, looking at the message that immediately popped up on the screen. "Twenty missed calls."

Abby swallowed, a lump suddenly growing in her throat. He didn't sound happy. "Oops…?"

Instead of speaking to Abby, Tim turned to Gibbs, who was still sitting quietly on the sofa. "Boss, Abby and I need to talk about a few things upstairs. Please excuse us for a few minutes."

Gibbs moved to stand. "I'll give the two of you some more privacy. Give me a call later."

Tim shook his head. "That's not necessary, Boss. We'll just be a few minutes. Besides, it's Christmas Eve. We'd love it if you stayed."

The older man raised an eyebrow. "If you're sure."

"Positive. Come on, Abby." Tim stood, taking one of Abby's hands in his. "We need to go have a talk."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry I took so long! I'd been really good about updating weekly, but this chapter had me spending a bit of extra time making sure I had Tim just the way I wanted him. Thankfully, he cooperated so I'm happy with the end result!

Expect one more chapter and an epilogue after this. I'm actually working on the next chapter right now, though I'm not expecting to finish it tonight. In case you're wondering, I PROMISE that y'all will get to see Tim's reaction when he finds out he's going to be a daddy. :)

Remember, feedback is helpful!

o o o o o

Abby pouted as Tim led her up the stairs to their bedroom. It really wasn't fair… Abby had just gotten a spanking from Gibbs not even an hour ago, and now Tim was going to _really_ spank her for the first time ever. This wasn't her idea of how Christmas Eve should be.

When they reached their room, Tim made sure to close the door before he led her over to the bed. "Sit."

Still pouting, Abby sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.

"All right," Tim said with a soft sigh. "I'm going to go get changed. While I'm doing that, I want you to sit here and think about what you did."

"I don't want to sit here," whined Abby. "My butt hurts, and all I'm going to be able to think about is how you're going to make it hurt more."

He arched one eyebrow. "Well, if you'd rather, you can do your thinking while staring at a wall."

She hmmphed, but she didn't argue further, and Tim took that as his cue to go get changed. He headed for the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind him. Stripping off his field clothes, Tim pulled on a dark blue turtleneck and a pair of jeans before returning to his wife. She was seated exactly where he'd left her, her hands clasped in her lap and her head tilted downward so that he couldn't see her face.

He slowly sat down beside her and reached over to take one of her hands into his own. When she looked up, he could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Talk to me, Abs," he said gently. "Why did you leave the phone off the hook? Why was your cell phone hidden in the towel drawer in the kitchen?"

"They wouldn't leave me alone," mumbled Abby.

"Who wouldn't leave you alone?"

"Everyone!" she exclaimed, using the back of her free hand to wipe her eyes. "My family… your family… I was upset and I didn't feel like being social or talking to anyone! Why couldn't they just leave me alone?"

Tim stroked Abby's hand with his thumb. "Because they care about you, sweetie. They didn't want you to be alone on Christmas Eve."

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "They wouldn't have wanted me around for long anyway. I just would've made everyone else miserable."

He shook his head. "You don't know that for sure. Regardless, you wouldn't have been so sad if you hadn't messed with the phones, because you would've known hours ago that I was on my way home."

Abby blinked. She hadn't expected him to tell her that. "Oh."

"I tried calling you every 10-15 minutes from the time the case closed to the time we boarded the plane. I then tried calling you as soon as we landed in D.C. Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs tried calling you, as well. Do you have any idea how scared I've been, not being able to reach you?"

"I…"

"Nobody had been in touch with you for hours. Nobody knew if you were okay or not. I was terrified that something bad had happened to you."

Her eyes felt blurry as the guilt hit her like a ton of bricks. She had to look away from him, ashamed, her voice small and trembling slightly. "I'm sorry…"

Using his free hand, Tim gently turned her face back toward him. "You mean everything to me, Abby," he told her softly. "I can't bear even the thought of losing you."

A choked sob escaped her lips, and Abby's head fell to her chest, one hand wrapping around her stomach as she cried brokenheartedly. "I'm sorry, Tim! I'm so, so sorry!"

He immediately pulled her to him, wrapping his arms securely around her shoulders. He didn't say anything; instead, he rocked them back and forth, letting her cry it out.

Several minutes passed before Abby's tears finally subsided enough for her to speak somewhat clearly. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, though, so she kept her face tucked against his chest. "I… I really am… sorry…"

"I know you are, Abs," he told her honestly as he pulled back slightly to see her face. "Are you ready to get this over with?"

For the first time Abby could remember, she was ready. The guilt of what she'd put Tim through was eating her up inside, and though she abhorred spankings (well, the ones that really hurt, at least), she'd gladly take a week of them if it meant he'd forgive her.

She nodded, knowing if she tried to speak she'd probably end up crying again.

Tim squeezed her hand reassuringly before standing, moving to the end of the bed where a large, sturdy oak chest sat. He sat on the lid of the chest, calling her to him. "Come here, Abby."

Sliding off of the bed, Abby moved to stand in front of Tim. She clasped her hands together and chewed anxiously on her lower lip.

"Pants down."

Abby froze. She wasn't sure of what she'd expected from Tim in this situation, but it certainly wasn't that. However, she reminded herself, she did deserve it after what she'd put Tim through, so Abby slowly lowered her thin sweatpants to her knees.

In one fluid motion, Tim had Abby across his knees. Abby grasped the edge of the chest lid, grateful that she had something to support her torso so she didn't feel like she was upside down. She briefly wondered if Tim somehow had some practice in this other than in their play – he seemed to position her with ease.

Before she could ask, though, she felt a cool breeze on her skin as Tim gently pulled her panties down to join her pants. Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Abby buried her face in her arms as she braced herself for the first swat.

Instead of an immediate swat, she felt his fingertips gently caress her bottom.

"You're still pretty pink," Tim observed casually as he assessed the state of her posterior. "Gibbs must've spanked you hard."

Despite her embarrassment, Abby had to roll her eyes as she rested her chin atop her arms. "When doesn't he spank hard?"

Tim patted the left cheek, not missing the involuntary sound that escaped her mouth. "Bare?"

"What, are you writing a book about it?" Abby retorted, feeling slightly annoyed now. Suddenly, she felt a sharp smack on her left cheek. "Ow!"

"You're not exactly in the best position to be sassy right now, Abby," Tim pointed out calmly, hiding his amusement over her sudden burst of spunk. That was his Abby.

"Fine… Yes, he pulled my panties down, toward the end."

He didn't say anything as he patted her cheeks a few more times. Then he lifted his hand, and before Abby had time to even think about it, Tim's hand fell sharply on her right cheek. Abby let out a squeal of surprise. Damn! His hand HURT. Sure, she knew it was going to hurt. Discipline spankings always hurt, especially on top of an already sore bottom, but part of her had thought Tim would go a bit easier on her because of the fact that Gibbs had already tanned her hide.

Apparently not.

Tim spanked briskly, peppering Abby's already pink bottom with crisp swats. Unlike Gibbs earlier, Tim chose to lecture her at the same time.

"The landline is there for a reason, Abby," he told her firmly. "In case something happens to our cell phones, we need a way to contact other people and vice versa. There is no reason for you to ever leave it off the hook. Do you understand me?" He swatted her particularly hard on the emphasized words, wanting to make sure he got the point across.

Abby was crying already, but she tried to answer him anyway. "Y-y-yes."

He continued, his hand turning her bottom a noticeable shade of red. "And if I'm out in the field, your cell phone is to be on and charged and near you at all times. I don't EVER want to hear of you hiding your phone or ignoring all calls again, Abigail, or so help me I'll spank you every night for a week. Is that understood?"

By this time, Abby was bawling, but she managed to nod her head.

Her cries were killing him inside, but Tim wanted to make sure he drove the lesson home. Without warning, he suddenly focused all of his effort on Abby's sit spots, swatting them hard and fast, causing Abby to sob even harder though she didn't try to stop him.

A good dozen more swats and Tim stopped, knowing Abby had had enough. The hand that had just lit a fire in her tail was now rubbing her back soothingly.

"It's over, Abby," he told her gently as he gave her time to calm down.

Once her sobs had reduced to sniffles and hiccups, he gently slid her pants and underwear off and lifted her up into his arms. He didn't miss the way she grimaced when her reddened skin came in contact with his denim-covered thighs, but she didn't complain.

He thought she'd immediately grasp onto him as fast as she could, but instead she looked up into his face. "I'm really, really sorry, Tim," she told him for the umpteenth time.

"Shhh," he replied, placing one finger over her lips. "I know you are, sweetheart. It's okay. It's over now, all right?"

Abby nodded her head before resting it on his chest. Even though her butt throbbed, she felt better knowing he'd forgiven her.

Tim stroked her head as he wrapped his arms around her. They sat that way for a moment, neither saying a word, before Tim finally broke the silence. "I missed this, you know," he confessed.

"Missed what?" she asked curiously, sighing a bit as he hugged her tighter and rested his chin atop her head.

"Holding you."


	7. Chapter 7

Abby sighed as she glanced at the bedroom door. "Do we have to go back downstairs?"

Tim chuckled softly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Gibbs is waiting for us, Abs."

"You could tell him I'm really tired… or that I fell asleep…"

He shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "Not happening. Come on, Abby." Tim lifted her off of his lap and stood, taking her hand. "You need to get dressed."

"I don't want to," she pouted, refusing to budge. "It'll hurt."

"Put on those sweatpants you have – the pouffy ones," suggested Tim.

Abby shook her head stubbornly. "Nuh unh."

Tim stared at her a split second before sitting back down and pulling Abby across his lap. He patted her bottom, noting the warmth still radiating from it, holding back a chuckle when Abby squeaked involuntarily. "Hmmm. Your butt is still red and hot, and yet you're already getting an attitude again," he mused softly before lightly swatting each cheek.

"Ow!" Abby shouted, immediately thrusting a hand back to try to cover the exposed skin. "Tiiiiiimmm…" she whined, drawing out his name. "You said it was overrrrrr…!"

"I did," he agreed calmly, as if they were discussing the weather. "However, if you're getting cranky again this soon, then perhaps I didn't do a thorough enough job."

Abby folded her arms on the chest lid and buried her face in them. Her voice was muffled, but Tim could just barely make out what she was saying. "Please, Timmy… please, don't… I'm sorry…"

Sighing, Tim lifted her up to stand in front of him. "No more attitude?"

She sniffled, the burning in her backside now reignited. "I'll try."

Any other time Tim would've been confused by such a promise, but he could tell something was going on with his wife and that for whatever reason, she was having a harder time controlling her temper. He wasn't going to push it; when Abby was ready to talk to him about it, she would. "All right then." Tim stood, pulling her into his arms for a brief embrace. "Go put some clothes on so we can go downstairs before Gibbs starts to worry." Kissing her forehead, he turned her around and gently nudged her in the direction of the dresser and closet.

It took Abby no time at all to find the sweatpants that Tim had suggested moments earlier. She eased them on, stretching the waistband as much as she could as she slowly pulled them up over her bottom in an effort to minimize the discomfort. Entering the bathroom, Abby quickly splashed some water on her face, hoping her eyes would look less red by the time they returned to the family room. Then she returned to where Tim was waiting on the bed. She wasn't going to possibly look any more presentable right then.

"Tim?" she asked quietly, biting her lip as she studied her husband.

He furrowed his eyebrows at the look on her face and immediately stood, taking her hands into his. "What's wrong, Abs?"

"Are… are you still mad at me?"

"What? Of course I'm not, sweetie."

"Are you sure?"

Tim let go of Abby's left hand to bring his right hand up to cup her face gently. "I promise I'm not mad, Abby." That same hand slid up to her forehead, gently gauging the warmth there. "Are you feeling okay, Abs?"

Abby nodded slowly. It was a mostly honest answer – she wasn't exactly feeling so great right then, but she knew that was his way of asking if she was sick, and Abby definitely was not sick. "I'm fine, Tim. I'm just a little tired."

He kissed her softly, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he guided her towards the bedroom door. "Let's go downstairs and you can cuddle as much as you want. In fact, I just might not let you out of my arms tonight," he told her, opening the door so they could walk through.

Upon reaching the family room entrance, Abby and Tim were equally surprised to find not one, but three people seated around the room. Tim chuckled as Tony and Ziva stood; he should've known they'd show up sometime that evening.

Abby smiled at her friends, but didn't move from her spot next to Tim. "Hi, guys." She couldn't help wondering how long they'd been there. Had they heard everything that had happened upstairs? If they had, she just knew she'd die of embarrassment.

Tony didn't give Abby long to dwell on it, however, as he bounded over to her and immediately pulled her into his arms, twirling her around. "I don't see you in over a week, and all I get is a measly little hi?" he demanded with a smirk. He set her back down and studied her face before putting his hands on his hips. "What's going on, Abs?"

She shrugged innocently. Last thing she needed was Tony prying more than he already did. "I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day."

"Must've been," he agreed, arching an eyebrow, "considering how you ignored your phone all day long. McGeek here was freaked out that something had happened to you." He didn't miss the blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry about that," Abby offered sheepishly.

"So did Probie straighten you out then…? OWW!" Tony immediately reached up to rub his head, glancing back to glare at Ziva who had managed to sneak up behind him. "What the hell was that for?"

"For being a nosy, insensitive ass," Ziva replied matter-of-factly.

Gibbs rolled his eyes from his spot on the sofa. "If you two are going to bicker like children, just leave the food and go argue somewhere else before I'm forced to knock some sense into the both of you."

"Sorry, Boss," Tony said quickly. "Speaking of food, though…" He practically sprinted into the kitchen, returning seconds later with a large plastic bag of Chinese. "Ziva and I figured, since we just got back into town and I'm sure Abby didn't feel like cooking anything that we'd pick up some takeout and we can all hang out."

This time it was Ziva's turn to roll her eyes. "What Tony means, is that it is Christmas Eve and we are all a family and we would like to spend the evening together."

Tony scrunched up his face slightly in confusion. "Didn't I just say that?"

Abby giggled for the first time that day. "I missed you guys. A lot."

Tim stepped up behind Abby, gently wrapping his arms around her waist as he dropped a feather-light kiss just below her ear. "Go get comfortable on the couch, and I'll fix you a plate. What would you like?"

She shrugged slightly. "I'm not really all that hungry, Timmy."

Tim chuckled softly. "Abs, you're eating something. What would you like?"

Abby sighed a bit, but she knew he wasn't going to budge. "I guess whatever you're having is fine."

"All right. I'll be right back." He kissed her again before releasing his hold on her and following the others into the kitchen.

Abby slowly made her way over to the couch, sitting on the opposite end from Gibbs. She tried to curl up a bit on her side, leaning against the arm so as to put as little pressure as possible on her bottom, but she still couldn't help wincing.

"You've had a rough day," Gibbs said quietly enough so that the kitchen occupants couldn't hear.

She looked at him a minute before nodding slightly. "Yeah."

"I can tell Tim did a hell of a job. You okay?"

Abby snorted softly. "Ask me that again when I can sit comfortably. Would you have gone easier on me? If you'd known Tim was going to… well, you know…"

"Nope," Gibbs replied seriously with a brisk shake of his head. "You dug your own hole, Abs. You had to fix it, no matter how unpleasant the consequences."

Frowning, Abby nodded a little. "I figured."

"Look on the bright side." Abby watched Gibbs expectantly, waiting for him to finish his thought. "At least now you'll be able to go to bed tonight knowing that Tim will be there in the morning."

She had to smile at that. Despite everything that had happened that day, it was true – she had her love home for Christmas. Everything was going to be okay.

Curling up a bit more, Abby let out a small content sigh. "Merry Christmas to me."

o o o o o

**Author's Note:** Thank you for hanging in there! I've just got the epilogue left, and then the story will be finished. This chapter was a little hard to write, so please let me know what you think, good or bad!

I know several people have mentioned an Abby & Tim series (something I'd already considered since the start of this story), but I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas (or reasons for Tim to spank Abby!), so if you have any thoughts or ideas you'd like to share on that topic, they'd be most welcome!


	8. Epilogue

Her eyes glanced at the small digital clock on her nightstand for the fifth time that hour. 6:38 AM. Still early, considering they didn't have to be at work that morning, but Abby couldn't sleep any longer. It was finally Christmas morning and she was as excited as a five year old who knew they'd gotten something big this year. Only, Abby wasn't excited about getting presents, per se… She was actually more excited about her surprise for Tim. He had no idea, and she just couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

Five more minutes rolled by before Abby just couldn't take it any longer. Rolling over to face Tim, she snuggled up beside him, draping an arm across his chest. "Timmy?" she asked softly.

Tim opened his eyes almost immediately, chuckling softly as he lifted his hand to run his fingers through her hair. "Couldn't wait any longer, hmm?" he asked her knowingly.

Abby was shocked. "How long have you been awake?"

"Almost as long as you have."

"And you didn't tell me?" She huffed indignantly.

Tim merely pulled her closer to him, kissing her head as he fought back more chuckles. "I couldn't help it, Abs. You were too cute, looking at the clock every couple of minutes with a big sigh."

"I suppose I can forgive you then," she told him with mock sincerity. Abby sighed dramatically before tilting her head to smile at him. "Guess what, Timmy?"

"What, Abby?"

She grinned like a Cheshire cat. "It's Christmas."

He laughed out loud at that. "Yes, yes it is. Should we go downstairs and get something to eat then before seeing what's under the tree?"

Shaking her head, Abby sat up in the bed, thankful her butt wasn't still sore. "I don't need to eat anything. I'm not hungry."

"Abby…" Tim said, frowning. "You need to eat something."

"I will, I will," she told him, waving her hand dismissively as she scooted off the bed. "Just not right now. I want you to open your present first."

He wanted to push the issue further, but she already had her slippers on and was padding to the bedroom door, so he figured it was futile to even try. Besides, she seemed excited about him opening a present, and in Tim's opinion Abby was absolutely adorable when she was excited about something.

So, Tim simply slipped out of bed, found his slippers, and followed Abby down to the living room where the Christmas tree stood, sparkling like a precious multicolored gem. He watched as she practically dove under the tree, reaching in back for a moderately sized box wrapped perfectly in gold foil paper and crimson ribbon.

When she turned back around and held the box out to him with a smile he wasn't sure he'd seen on her before and eyes that positively twinkled, he couldn't help but smile back. "Are you sure you wouldn't like some coffee first?"

Abby shook her head quickly, the excitement never fading. "Nope. Come on, Timmy, open it!"

Abby not wanting her usual caffeine fix? Something was definitely 'hinky' as she would put it, but he wasn't going to point that out… not yet anyway. "Wow. Must be something big if you're turning down your morning cup of caffeine," he said as he took the box from her. "You didn't sneak out and find an open convenience store that sells Caf-Pows, did you?"

She sighed impatiently, reminding Tim of a child. "Timmyyyyyyy," she whined softly. "Open it already!"

Chuckling, he sat down on the couch, waiting for her to join him before carefully removing the ribbon and paper. He knew it was driving her crazy, but he couldn't help it. She was cute when she was antsy. Slipping a finger underneath the lid, he broke the bits of tape securing the lid to the rest of the box and lifted it off, revealing a black baseball cap.

Tim pulled the cap out of the box and turned it around in his hands so he could read the front. The lettering was simple, in a bold, white font, but three letters stared out at him, sucking the breath out of him momentarily.

D-a-d.

Jerking his head up, he stared at Abby, noticing the suddenly shy smile on her face as she obviously tried to gauge his reaction. Tim stared back down at the cap for a moment, running his fingers over the lettering, before lifting his head to look at his wife. "Really?" he asked softly, searching for sincerity in her eyes.

Abby nodded shyly. "Yeah."

Grinning wider than Abby had ever thought possible, Tim suddenly lifted her up in to his arms and stood, twirling her around. He stopped after a few seconds, setting her feet gently on the ground as his lips captured hers.

When he finally pulled back, he smiled down at her. "When?"

"I'm due in August," she explained, understanding his one-word answer completely. "Are you really happy about it?"

He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her again, this time more softly. After several seconds he pulled back to breathe but his hands remained on her face. "Abby, this is the best Christmas present you could ever give me," he told her honestly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Tim looked in her eyes, giving her a look that never failed to leave her weak in the knees. "I love you, Mrs. McGee."

Abby giggled, leaning up to gently kiss his lips. "I love you too, Mr. McGee."

The End


End file.
